​Aubrac

World Class Flavour

The Aubrac is a very old French breed of cattle used for beef. Tan in colour, with long lyre-type horns, Aubracs are a tough breed with high resistance to disease, high longevity and easy calving. Though primarily a beef breed, the milk from Aubrac cattle is also used to make traditional Laguiole cheese.

Aubrac Cattle are known for their Grassfed Greatness and Superior Forage Efficiency. ​

Characteristics

The Aubrac is a well muscled medium sized animal, which feeds well on low-cost roughage: grass and hay, thus reducing the production cost of the finished animal. In France, they live at an average altitude of 3,000 feet and can stand harsh climates. In summer they forage on poor vast pastures and spend the winter tied up in sheds on concrete (little straw available). They have the ability to create reserves when times are good and utilise them when needed.

LOW MAINTENANCE COST:Feed well on low-cost low-grade roughage (grass, hay). In their part of France, fresh grass is only available for a maximum four months. In winter, they are fed on hay with added minerals. The young stock might get silage if available.

EASE OF CALVING:Excellent pelvic conformation is one of the main criteria in the selection of bulls and cows. Cows calve very easily both purebred and crossed with heavy muscled Charolais, Culard, etc…The Aubrac bulls are used successfully on dairy and suckler herds for ease of calving. Calves are relatively small, weighing 35kg -40kg. They are lively and hardy at birth with high growth rates.​

CALVING REGULARITY:Very good fertility rate, and up to 98% of cows going back in calf.

MEAT:Dense, continental type with marbling and good taste. Very high bone to meat ratio and little waist. Details and examples of kill-out results and boning percentage available further in the text.

HIGH LONGEVITY:Longevity, hardiness and high fertility rates guarantee more calves over the lifetime of the cow.​CONSISTENT GRADING AND KILL-OUT RESULTS:Lists of E and U grades available for view in Meat Qualities section. A high meat to bone ratio ensures high kill-out weights and very little waste.

Why Aubrac

Aubracs are ideal for today's beef production. They are structurally sound and problem-free, possessing excellent foraging abilities and maternal and reproductive soundness. They are extremely easy-keeping cattle, and they produce lean, but high-quality carcasses.

Maternal Traits

This breed is famous for its notable qualities in raising its offspring and for being a hardy breed. The Aubrac is an ideal breed of mothers for the production of beef, not only in purebreds but also in crossbreeds with bulls from other breeds specialised in beef production.

Its greatest success resides in reproduction results:

Excellent fertility (one calf each year)

Ease of calving (reduced veterinarian care and cost)

Nursing aptitude (little expenditure on fodder)

Notable longevity

Aubrac cattle are especially outstanding in their reproductive capacity, which is consistent regardless of the environmental conditions.

Breed Standard

COLOUR : The coat is fawn with varying shades, it can vary from wheat colour to pale grey. The coat is darker on the shoulders and on the croup. These characteristics are mostly noticeable on non castrated males, where the front end is almost black.

EXTREMITIES : The mucous membranes, the rim of the anus, the lips of the vulva, the tuft at the end of the tail, the cleats, the tips of the horns, and the rims of the ears are black. In the male the extremity of the scrotum is black.

HORNS : pointing obliquely and slightly to the front, then upwards and finally twisting with the tip pointing backwards, they are black at the tip and as white as possible at the base.

HEAD : The muzzle, the rim of the eyelids and the eyelashes are black, surrounded by a white halo. The tongue is slate colour. The eye is lively and kind with a black make-up like outline. The forehead is flat and straight. The brow is square. The top knot is wide and often frizzy. The ears are medium sized, thin and surrounded with black hair. The head is expressive, the muzzle short and wide.

LEGS : short and fine they are of remarkable strength. The hooves are black. The Aubrac has excellent legs. The hind legs have wide and strong hocks.

TAIL : The tail is thin, long with an attachment not too prominent, well set and must end with a black tuft.

BODY : The neck and flanks are somewhat short but the chest and loins are wide. The pelvis and hips are well developed and level. The top line is straight, the chest is deep and the ribs are well sprung. The dewlap is less developed but the croup is muscular. The thigh is thick but not too rounded and very long​HARMONY : standing on four perfect legs, the Aubrac is a medium sized animal solid and sturdy showing characteristics of a robust animal.

Cows have excellent pelvic conformation with nice, tidy udders but still have a plentiful supply of milk.

Tops for feed efficiency.

Very hardy breed and easily maintained.

Bulls and steers perform well and finish at young ages with excellent grades. See kill-out results here.

Progeny sought after by live exporters and feedlots.

Because of many years of selection for hardiness, a tough breed was developed with a high level of resistance to disease, frugality, easy calving and longevity. Most of the cows are kept as suckler cows. In France, 60% of the cows are covered by Charolais bulls, because of the ability of the Aubracs to successfully cross with heavy beef breeds. With the financial help of local authorities, small groups of farmers still choose to keep a few Aubracs around for dairy use.

An Aubrac cow has an easy birth every year for a long time.The AUBRAC breed is among the best breeds in reproduction qualities.

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Thanks to Paul Butler from Beef Power for the assistance with this breed page